elections

i got into what almost seemed like a full blown argument with my sister today about the campaign.

it all started when the Obama campaign from Colorado called me to check in with me about my travel and housing plans.  Since I was staying with my sister, they asked if I would have access to a car.  In turn, I asked my sister if she would let me borrow her car to get around the city.

she went on to tell me how she didn't support my endeavors and that she wouldn't let me borrow her car and reaffirmed that she wasn't going to house any strange liberal obama supporter either.

hmm.  i guess this was a wake up call in many ways.

1. In regards to politics, my sister was a lot more conservative than I thought she was.  Because she is not a citizen, she's never really had to decide who and what to vote for.  We've always agreed on womyn's issues and always disagreed on immigration issues . . but she's never blatantly told me that she will not support me and endeavors.
2. In regards to lifestyle, my sister is relatively close-minded.  Since my siblings lived at home through out college, the idea of housing strangers, sleeping wherever it's free, etc. is weird for them.  Even though her housemate is queer, she works for a non-profit, and she attempts to be green . . i think this is more about convenience than about preference.

i guess it's a good thing i'm moving.  my siblings has proven to continuously scapegoat me, ridicule my politics and lifestyle, and discount my accomplishments and reasoning.

what a shame.  they seem to think that their college degrees and higher incomes make them any less the children of refugees than i am.

maybe my parents should have just stayed in laos.  i wonder how well my siblings would have been at raising water buffalo and growing rice.

family and community

i've been feeling sick this past weekend . . so i finished Dreams From My Father in just a few days.

it made me think about a lot of things.  

. . it made me regret not keeping a journal while i was in china and laos.

. . it made me scared at the idea of moving back to dc.

. . it made me excited to go to colorado to work on the campaign.

other than finishing the book, i would say i had a really good week with my parents and family in general.  in all honestly, it's been a while.

i guess the good week all started on tuesday when i went to temple with my mom and my grandma.  i hadn't been to the temple for something like this for over four years (since I went to college), which is sad seeing that i was raised by probably the most religious man in san diego's tai lue community and probably learned how to make paper flowers and candles for the temple before i properly learned how to talk.

it was nice.  we got there at around 8am and waited for everyone else to trickle in; except that never happened.  you see, san diego's tai lue community has dissipated into just a few homes.  some of our relatives from temecula came down . . which helped, but before we used to pack the vihan.  things didn't get crowded until about 11am when the lao community started to arrive.

while the morning was nice, it was also sad to see that the community i wanted to come home to was practically all gone.

regardless, it was still nice.  my grandma made fun of the way my skirt kept falling apart everytime i sat down (i still have not mastered the whole fold over skirt thing -- when i was a kid, my mom used to just sew in buttons so it would stay put).  my other grandmas kept giving me food and candy because they were scared i was hungry.  the hussle and bussle of trying to tuk-baht.  seeing my poor grandpa falling asleep in the corner on the other side of the room.  trying to massage my grandma's legs . . which at the age of 74 can't just sit for hours without stretching anymore.

this week was what i imagined being home would be like.  unfortunately, this wasn't the same i've been having the past month and a half . . and unfortunately, i may be leaving again relatively soon.